Thomas Matthews

A Snappy Austrian White

Weingut Christ Weissburgunder Vienna “Full Moon” 2007

Posted: October 27, 2010

After a Sunday morning walk through the lovely Hudson River Park, Sara and I wandered into Chelsea Market in search of lunch and stopped at the Green Table, which calls itself “a sustainable eatery & wine bar.”

We sat at the bar while our table was cleared, and I ordered a glass of Slovenian Friulano. The bartender poured it and I asked to look at the label, as I always do, so he put the bottle down on the bar. Then the manager came to take us to the table and picked up the bottle.

“Oh, I only ordered a glass,” I said.

An odd look crossed his face. “We don’t sell this wine by the glass,” he said.

Then an odd look crossed the bartender’s face. “Did I pour the wrong wine?” he asked.

“Well, in any case, I like it,” I said.

The manager smiled. “Then let’s not worry about it. We can always sell the rest of it by the glass and besides, now I can have a taste. It’s one of my favorite wines on the list.”

And that, I thought, is excellent wine service.

The wine—which turned out to be a Pinot Blanc, known as Weissburgunder in Austria—was delicious, light and clean with focused, alluring flavors of lime, elderflower and stone. It comes from a biodynamically farmed vineyard just outside Vienna (all the wines on the brief, eclectic list are sustainable, organic or biodynamic) and sells for $39. I rated it 89 points, non-blind. The food was good, too; I’ll go back any time.

Darcy & Huber Selections

New York City — October 27, 2010 3:50pm ET

Hi Thomas, just a little more information on Rainer Christ. His vineyards are actually all within the city limits of Vienna in the 21st district. There are over 1600 acres worth of vines within the city dating back to the Celts and Romans. The wines from Vienna had gained much popularity in recent years due young winemakers like Rainer Christ focusing on authentic terroir driven wines.

To learn more about the wines from Vienna or Austrian Wines please visit.

www.theaustrianwines.com

or regional spotlight on Vienna.http://austrianwineusa.com/2010/10/06/regional-spotlight-vienna-wien/

Kim Marcus recently also did a piece on the wines, especially the "Wiener Gemischter Satz" field blends where multiple grape varietals are planned together and then harvested and crushed on the same day.

Cordially - Carlo

Thomas Matthews

New York City — October 27, 2010 4:45pm ET

Carlo, Thanks for the additional information. I encourage our readers to explore these wines. Vivacious, food-friendly and reasonably-priced.

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